


This Empty Room (Fills My Mind)

by Melacka



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Light Angst, Nightmares, Platonic Cuddling, Post-Hogwarts, Protective Ron, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melacka/pseuds/Melacka
Summary: Harry didn’t have too many nightmares these days. Gone were the days where he’d wake up, breathless and tangled in his sheets, his throat raw from screaming. Adrenaline pumping through his veins telling him to Get Out Now. And so that was why he was so completely unprepared for the nightmare that came that night.Lucky for him, he'll always have Ron to help him through.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley
Comments: 6
Kudos: 48
Collections: Bulletproof 20/21





	This Empty Room (Fills My Mind)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Penknife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Penknife/gifts).



Harry didn’t have too many nightmares these days. Gone were the days where he’d wake up, breathless and tangled in his sheets, his throat raw from screaming. Adrenaline pumping through his veins telling him to Get Out Now.

It had been years since the second war ended. Years since the final battle at Hogwarts.

And he finally felt like he was getting his life back on track, like he didn’t have to carry around the weight of his past everywhere he went. Like his whole life wasn’t dictated by a sodding _scar_.

And so that was why he was so completely unprepared for the nightmare that came that night.

_Blood. There was so much blood._

_Broken bodies littered the ground at his feet. People he knew. People he loved._

_Hagrid._

_Remus._

_Tonks._

_McGonagall._

_Luna._

_Ginny._

_He ran through a seemingly endless field of the dead, searching for a way out. A way to undo the damage._

_“Potter,” Voldemort hissed, appearing suddenly in front of him. “All of these people could have been spared—”_

_Harry didn’t wait to hear the accusation he was sure was coming. He just kept on running._

_Always running. Ron and Hermione somehow keeping pace beside him. Until suddenly they weren’t._

_Suddenly, they were falling._

_Screaming._

_Dying._

_Harry held out his hand, desperately trying to save his friends. Voldemort’s shrill, piercing laugh filled his head as he raised his wand, the killing curse ready on his lips—_

Harry sat up with a shout, kicking the bedsheets away from him and struggling to breathe.

Before he could make sense of his surroundings, Ron came charging into the room, wand raised and eyes wild.

“What is it?” he bellowed, brandishing his wand threateningly. “Who’s here? Come out, you bastard!”

“No one, Ron,” Harry gasped, his voice sounding small in the sudden silence. “It’s no one. I’m fine.”

“You’re obviously _not_ fine, Harry.” Ron lowered his wand but continued to stare suspiciously around the room, chest heaving. “What was it? A nightmare?”

“Yeah.” Harry eased himself out of bed and stretched his body slowly. “Been a while since I had one that bad, I guess it took me by surprise.”

“Uh huh,” Ron said sceptically, gesturing at Harry’s body vaguely. “This is you surprised, is it? Remind me never to throw you a surprise party.”

Ron finally halted his examination of the room, apparently satisfied that there were no immediate threats to Harry’s safety. Harry shrugged self-consciously as Ron took a few steps closer.

“Maybe I had too much to drink tonight,” he mumbled, not looking at Ron. “Maybe I didn’t have _enough_ to drink, who knows?”

Ron snorted and said, “Are you going to be able to sleep again?”

“Dunno.” He scrubbed his eyes roughly with his hands. “I really need some more sleep, though, so it’s worth a try.”

There was a long moment of silence and then Ron grabbed Harry’s hand. Harry’s head shot up and he gaped at his friend.

“Ron, what—”

“Come on, then,” he said simply, turning on his heel and leading the way to his bedroom. “Let’s get to bed.”

“But—”

“But nothing. We both know you’ll sleep better if someone else is there with you and I’m too tired to argue, so get your arse in bed.”

He released Harry’s hand and rearranged the covers so that they were spread more neatly across the bed.

“Ron, I don’t—”

“Come on, Harry, don’t mess about.” Ron settled himself comfortably on one side of the bed and patted the other side invitingly. “Don’t be a prat, I’m not gonna bite you.”

Harry let out a surprised laugh and then sat down heavily on the bed, his back to Ron.

“I thought I was past it, Ron,” he said to the wall. “I really thought I’d left it behind.”

“I’m not sure we’ll ever leave it behind, mate,” Ron said quietly, and Harry appreciated his use of _we_.

“I guess not.” Harry’s shoulders slumped momentarily in defeat. “But it was worth a try, huh?”

“It’s always worth a try, Harry,” Ron said cheerfully. “Now lie down and shut up.”

Harry snorted a laugh and lay down obediently, keeping a careful distance between their bodies. He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the nightmare – the screams, the flashes of green light, the bodies falling.

“Fuck,” he groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. “Fuck, fuck, _fuck_.”

“That’s it, budge over,” Ron said, sounding resigned.

“Budge over?” Harry snapped. “Where exactly?”

“On your side, Harry, now.”

Harry turned on his side resentfully and gasped when he felt Ron press his body firmly against his.

“Ron?”

“Hmm?”

“Are we _spooning_?”

“Just go with it, Harry,” Ron murmured, sounding as if he was half asleep already. “We’ve known each other too long to be bothered by something like this, haven’t we?” Ron slipped an arm around his waist and squeezed gently. “Sleep now, Harry. I’ve got you.”

Harry allowed himself to relax, focusing on the deep, steady breaths from the man behind him. He matched his breathing to Ron’s and slowly felt the tension drain out of his body. Without allowing himself to think too much about his reasons, he put his arm over Ron’s where it lay draped along his waist and carefully threaded their fingers together.

Ron mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and pulled Harry closer. And Harry finally, gratefully, drifted back into sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to anyone who reads/leaves kudos/comments!


End file.
